A Midsummer Night's Reality
by RJ07
Summary: It's a fine summer day. Our dear hunter friends, why not take some time off? Two of you've got something to talk about anyway. You know, those feelings you've been holding back but should just express already? Yea, those feeli.. uh-uh, don't even try lying to me! I'm your narrator, man! Winchester! Talbot! Get back here!.. Stick around, readers. I'll make 'em talk. AU, slight OOC?


'**Sup guys? =D**

**Sooo lemme just say it's been a while since I've written creatively. I wrote one fic for this site 8 years ago… it was hella embarrassing to look at again haha. Besides that… one Creative Writing class in high school… everything else since then? HS/college essays (boooooring lol). So hopefully this'll be acceptable for y'all! I took the usual artistic liberties... It's AU, some parts may be a bit OOC (though I tried not to take 'em too far out, while still throwing in my own flavor). You know, all that author-playing-God stuff. Haha ;)**

**BTW, shout-out to SmartalecHuntress, whose awesome story "To Hell and Back" was what inspired me to try my hand at writing a Dean/Bela story of my own.**

**Aiite then. Y'all ready? Lights, camera, LEGGO! =D**

* * *

Normality always felt so absurd.

After all, what could be stranger for a group of hunters than to take an opportunity to just relax and have a little picnic?

Well, here they all were, fresh off another day on the job, doing just that. Demons were loose and running amok all over the country, and their immediate concern was how long it would take to cook the burgers and hot dogs, and where the paper plates were. Weird.

"Sweetie, straighten out that tablecloth, will ya?"

Ellen Harvelle. Former bar-owner. Current mother hen. Eternal badass.

"Mom, guys make up half the group here. I guarantee you they won't even notice."

Jo Harvelle. Independent girl-next-door. Spunky daughter of the mother hen.

"Those idjits probably won't even notice the tablecloth to begin with."

Bobby Singer. Tough as a grizzly. Not quite as playful as a panda. But caring as a koala.

"Speaking of idjits," he turned and yelled in the direction of everyone's favorite slick, black '67 Chevy Impala. "Hey boys! How much longer you gonna make us wait for those coals?"

"Give us a sec, Bobby, we've got a lot to unload. And for the record, we would've been back sooner if Dean hadn't made us go back when we were halfway here."

"Shut up! It's your fault for forgetting the pie. I reminded you three times, Sammy."

The wonder boys Sam and Dean Winchester. Unsung heroes. Modern-day gunslingers. Dutiful vigilantes. And one of them loved pie almost as much as he loved his brother. Almost.

"Why did he need to be reminded? Surely you could have gone into the store with him and gotten it yourself. Are you that lazy, Dean?"

Bela Talbot. An English rose. As beautiful and elegant as she was deadly (when she needed to be). Handle with caution. Especially if you have a pulse.

"Lazy? You call filling up my baby lazy?" Dean retorted, referring, of course, to gassing up the Impala. "If it wasn't for me, we would've been hitchhiking home, and you wouldn't have seen us back till nightfall."

"Oh? Sounds like a convenient excuse to me, but if you say so," Bela smiled innocently.

"I do say so," Dean gave her a smug smirk.

Jo and Sam secretly exchanged smiles. _Here we go again_. The relationship between Dean and Bela was something akin to the last cookie on a plate. Everyone knew something was there, but they all hesitated to touch or even acknowledge it, for fear of causing drama of epic proportions. Who would want to be _that_ person? No thanks, somebody else can make that first move and take all the heat. Thing was, it had been a few months since the game started, and everyone was still standing their ground. That first move had yet to be played.

"So why don't you be a _dear_ and take this?" Dean practically shoved one of their shopping bags into Bela's arms.

"I'll take it. Can't promise you I'll be a dear, though," Bela smiled sweetly, and went to deposit the bag's contents on the table.

Dean watched her retreating form, slightly annoyed by her sassiness. And strangely turned on at the same time. Just a bit. "Hey. What the hell's that supposed to mean?" He asked, as he followed her.

Over by the grill, Ellen discreetly remarked to Bobby, "Ah, to be young and in hot pursuit again, eh, Robert?"

"Speak for yourself, y' old lady, I'm all kinds of young," Bobby kept such a straight face that Ellen couldn't be sure whether or not he was joking.

"In whose world, bucko?" She half-scoffed and half-laughed, as she walked back to the table. "And don't think I'll be forgetting that 'old lady' bit anytime soon," she warned.

Bobby gave a short chuckle as he continued preparing the grill. It had been years since he had last used it, yet he still had the proficiency of a true pro. As he waited for the grill to heat up, he looked around and took in the weather. Although the July sun loomed directly overhead in full force, it was pleasantly mild, and a cool summer wind danced among the trees in Bobby's yard. He was glad that Ellen had come up with this idea. It must have been her motherly instincts kicking in, seeing the fatigued group after an exhausting few days. Bobby was never one to moan and groan about the job, but he wouldn't deny that he was enjoying their self-imposed day off. And from what he saw, the rest of the group appeared to share that sentiment. Everyone's spirits were visibly higher in this moment than they had been in recent days.

He took another glance at Dean and Bela. He had to laugh. The Fates had a twisted sense of humor, having allowed Bela's path to intertwine with that of the hunters once again. It had been several months ago…

* * *

_Dean slowly made his way down the hall of a Chicago home. There were five doors ahead. Gun at the ready, he prudently approached each one, listening in before kicking it down. Behind door number one was an empty bathroom. Door number two, storage closet. A broom fell out and noisily clonked onto the floor. Number three, an impossibly tidy home office. Number four, a partially complete baby room. _

_Of course. It WOULD be the last door._

_Sam and Dean, accompanied by Bobby, had decided to investigate a string of suspicious deaths in the Windy City, a majority of the victims being pregnant women. Witnesses had reported seeing a curious group of animals in the vicinity of each crime scene: a dog, a cat, a pig, and a bat. Dogs and cats were common enough, but pigs and bats? In the city? They were typically seen skulking in the shadows around homes where the victims lived, and the witnesses were merely able to catch quick glimpses of them before they would retreat back into hiding. In addition, they were only ever seen before deaths occurred. As such, they came to be known as death omens in the area. Upon further research (Sam and Bobby at a library, Dean at the bars with local women), the hunters figured out that they were dealing with a group of _aswang_, evil mythological creatures from Filipino folklore. _

_Dean had chuckled upon reading the name. "Ass wang?"_

_Bobby quickly corrected him. "No ya idjit, it's ah-swong. They're pretty much vampiric shapeshifters."_

"_Well, that would explain the odd roundup of animals people've been seeing," Sam realized._

_Bobby further explained that they feasted on flesh and blood, but fixated mainly on hearts, livers, and fetuses, which were considered a delicacy among _aswang,_ and thereby attracted them to pregnant women._

_The trio had followed up on a report of a recent sighting, arriving at a woman's house just in time to save her from one of her assailants. The _aswang _had reverted into their human forms and were ready to feed. Sam fired salt rounds into the two that had cornered the woman. He knew it wouldn't kill them (they would need a bamboo spear. Jo and Ellen were en route with the weapon), but it provided enough of a distraction for the trio to take the woman to a safe room and lay down some salt. As Bobby and Sam spread the salt, the woman frantically spoke with Dean. Apparently, before the _aswang _had revealed themselves, the woman had caught a female thief in the act. When the _aswang _struck, all exits were blocked and the thief had fled upstairs, with two of the creatures_ _in pursuit._

_Well, thief or saint, Dean wasn't about to let anyone die on his watch. Especially not to these freaks. He approached the fifth door, noticing as he got closer that it was slightly ajar. He peered through the crack, finally catching a proper glimpse of the _aswang. _Their eyes were extremely bloodshot, and their long, sharp tongues dangled from their slobbering mouths as they growled, closing in on their prey. Quickly, Dean shoved open the door and fired salt rounds into their heads. They fell to the ground, writhing in agony, as Dean rushed over to the woman crouching in the corner. _

"_You okay?" He bent down and took the woman's hand, ready to pull her up and get her out of the danger zone._

_The woman looked up, fairly calm given the circumstances, but still shaken by the ordeal. _

_Their eyes met. Why hello, Bela Talbot. They quickly stood up. "YOU!" both yelled._

"_The hell are you doing here?" Dean was incredulous._

"_Is my presence really the issue right now?" Bela huffed._

_The lady had a point. "Ah, come on!" He put a hand on her back, ready to escort her out. They halted when they came face-to-face with the _aswang_, back on their feet. They were pissed. Pissed. Off. _

"_I'm guessing you're unarmed?" Dean asked Bela, as they backed up towards the wall._

"_Oh, of course I'm armed, Dean. I just wanted to play hide-and-seek in the corner with my friends here," Bela smiled way too sweetly, but spoke with a hard edge._

"_Whatever, just get back," Dean instructed, as he brandished his shotgun. Where were Ellen and Jo with that damn spear already?_

_Dean took aim. One shot rang out, and one beast fell back onto the floor. _

_He took aim once again. One click resounded throughout the room… Crap._

_Bela stared at the empty gun. "Oh, come on, Dean. What kind of hero comes to a fight, lacking ammunition?"_

"_Oh, you're one to talk," Dean barked back. "You with the sticky fingers, and you couldn't even get 'em to stick to a friggin' gun!"_

"_Dean, watch out!"_

_Dean brought his eyes forward. He was just in time to reflexively hold up his shotgun to block the _aswang's _incoming blow. Unfortunately, the creature's inhuman strength allowed it to knock the gun away. The two were completely helpless._

_The beast lunged forward, a sickening grin etched on its monstrous countenance. Dean instinctively shielded Bela, holding her tight and anticipating the worst… _

_Seconds passed… _

_The worst never came._

_Dean dared himself to look. The point of a bamboo spear protruded through the now-lifeless _aswang's _heart. He looked past the deceased creature, and was met with the triumphant expression on Jo Harvelle's face._

"_Hey there, Dean," Jo greeted him. "Not used to the girl saving you, huh?"_

_Dean had to give a faint chuckle at that. "Hey, congratulate yourself later. Let's get rid of these bodies."_

_Jo nodded, as she took hold of one of the bodies and began dragging it out of the room._

_Dean and Bela relaxed. This battle was over. They slowly looked at each other, and realized their extreme proximity. Dean quickly let go of her, and Bela straightened herself up. They stood in silence for a few seconds._

"_Well…" Bela was the first to break the silence._

"…_yeah…" Dean responded, not quite sure what to say. Instead, he bent down to pick up the other corpse. Bela wordlessly followed, as Dean slung the corpse over his shoulder and exited the room._

_Later, after having been convinced by the hunters to relinquish all the items she had taken, Bela attempted to pay off Dean for coming to her rescue, albeit unwittingly so._

"_Again with the money? You can drop $5K no problem, but you can't say two little words?" Dean asked. He would never understand how her logic worked._

_Bela shook the hand holding out the wad of cash. "You want it or not?"_

"_Tell you what, sweetheart," Dean put his hand atop hers and lowered it. "You keep the cash. Just promise me you'll stay out of our hair from now on."_

_Bela stared at him. She could have sworn that there was a slight trace of wistfulness in his expression… But surely she was overthinking. She stashed the money back into her purse. "Fine. Farewell, then." She turned and walked back to where her rental car was parked._

_Dean watched her leave. Part of him wanted to say, "Good riddance." As for the other part… well, there was something holding him back. He wasn't sure what all the hesitation was about. Not that it mattered, though. She had given him his word that they would never again cross paths._

_Ah, but promises were always made to be broken, weren't they?_

* * *

Dean popped the hood of the Impala. If there was one thing in this world that was guaranteed to calm him down, working on the car was it. There were, of course, plenty of "extracurricular activities" that gave him great pleasure, but the concern here was calming down and relaxing. He was in a very chipper mood indeed, as he sang while rummaging through his tool box for a wrench.

"When I seeeee youuuu smiiile, I can face the world. Ohhhh, you know I can do anything, yeaahhh."

"Hmm, is that Bad English I hear? Not a bad choice."

Dean looked up. Bela casually sauntered up to him, maintaining her air of refinement all the while. He smirked at her. "Well, if there's anyone that knows a little something about being bad and being English, it would be you, wouldn't it?"

"Are you casting aspersions upon my character, Dean?" Bela raised her eyebrows, daring him to answer in the affirmative.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Dean put his hands up, feigning innocence. "Besides, your character does a great job of casting aspersions on itself all on its own," he patted her on the shoulder.

Bela looked at him dryly. "Well. Thank you for the 'compliment'."

"Anytime," Dean said merrily, patting her on the head, and turning back to the Impala.

"Don't you treat like me like a child," Bela playfully smacked him on the arm.

"Who said I was?" Dean said, maintaining his merry disposition.

Bela sighed. "Whatever. Never mind." She stood there quietly, watching him as he tinkered around with the engine. She had absolutely no idea what he was doing, but he seemed to be good at it.

Dean noted her silent presence. "What? You thinking about which part'll get you the most moolah if you nab it for one of your clients?"

"No, Dean," Bela rolled her eyes. "Contrary to your belief, my mind isn't always on thievery."

"What is it, then?" Dean asked. "You're amazingly quiet. Like, scary quiet. It's kinda creepin' me out."

Bela suppressed a chuckle. "I was just thinking. You must have a lot of patience. To do this as often as you do."

"What, working on this beauty here?" Dean lit up. "Hey, it's not just a pastime. She's been with us through a lot. Hasn't let me down once," he smiled proudly.

Bela nodded. "I can imagine."

They found their thoughts turning to the last instance in which the Impala had gotten them out of a tight bind. Just a few days ago…

* * *

_Soon after the incident in Chicago, demon activity skyrocketed. Big moves were apparently being made in the demon world. A restless Crowley had grown weary of being a passive bystander while the Leviathans ran the show. He had dispatched numerous demons throughout the nation in an effort to garner souls for his army of hellspawn. This subsequently made life much harder for the hunters, who were forced to step up their efforts to police around the multitudes of demons that had sprung up._

_A number of cases required specialized items to kill, bind, exorcise, or otherwise deal with the threats they faced. Now who was the one person they knew who was most capable of quickly and efficiently obtaining specific supernatural items?_

_Bela wasn't surprised to get the call. In a way, she had been expecting it. No one ever really walked out of your life until life walked out of them. So they picked up right where they left off. It was a very shaky alliance at the start, but there was just something about ganking demons together that naturally built up civil working relationships. In a matter of months, the Winchesters and Bela had something that almost resembled mutual respect for each other. Miracles never ceased._

_That respect was put to the test when the brothers tracked down a pair of demon twins in the suburbs of Baltimore. The demons had split up, leaving Sam and Dean to do the same, in hopes of minimizing the damage by killing both at the same time. Sam accomplished his side of the deal without any major hiccups. However, Dean ran into trouble. After finding the demon's hideout, he burst into the room, gun raised._

_What he saw confused him greatly. _

_What he saw was Bela holding a gun to her own head. Smiling._

"_Hello, Dean," she greeted him, her voice smooth as silk._

"_Bela?" Dean lowered his gun. "What are you- put that gun down!"_

_Bela chuckled. "Why? I think it's perfectly fine where it is right now, don't you?"_

"_Look, if you're trying out some twisted version of British Roulette or whatever, now's really not the time," Dean tried again to convince her to drop the gun. "There's a demon loose in here, and-"_

"_Oh, yes," Bela interrupted. "I'm aware of that." Her eyes flickered and momentarily turned completely black._

_Dean closed his eyes, sighing heavily. "Dammit." When it came to demons, possession was way more than nine-tenths of the law._

"_What's the matter, sweetie?" Demon-Bela taunted. "Aren't you happy to see me?"_

_Dean stoically raised his gun back up. "Let her go."_

"_Oh honestly, Dean," Demon-Bela shook her head. "Why even bother playing the hero and raising your gun? We both know you won't be firing it. Not while I'm in this hot little meatsuit." She smiled, evilly._

_Dean silently glared at the demon, but kept his gun raised._

"_Huh. Stubborn, are we?"_

"_I could say the same for you," Dean responded._

_Demon-Bela nodded. "Touché."_

_Dean repeated, "Let her go. She's done nothing to deserve this."_

_The demon stood her ground. Dean stared her down, waiting in anticipation for the demon to make a move._

_Demon-Bela cracked a smile and chuckled. "Oh Dean-o. Gallant, chivalrous Dean-o."_

_Dean stood steady, his expression and body language unchanging. Where was the demon going here? The demon's next words answered that question._

"_You care for this woman. Don't you?"_

_Boom. Chord struck. Dean's composure wavered for the slightest instant, Demon-Bela noticed. Aha._

"_You really actually care for this cold-hearted bitch," the demon continued, genuinely amazed. "After all she's done to you and Sam, a few good months and all's forgiven?"_

_Dean remained wordless. He wasn't about to give the demon any more verbal ammunition._

"_Well, Dean?" Demon-Bela seemed to be enjoying herself. "You gonna just stand there, holding your gun up for show? Unlike you, I could easily pull the trigger."_

_Dean's breathing became a little heavier. And Demon-Bela was loving it._

"_You humans are a dime a dozen. I can easily find another host. Which means," the demon smiled, "your woman here is expendable."_

_Dean had to make a move. Now. "Yeah? Well, you lowlife demons aren't so rare yourselves. I'm sure Crowley won't miss you."_

_Quick as a wink, Dean pulled out a bottle from his pocket, uncapped it, and splashed the contents onto the demon, who immediately began to scream. She had been so fixated on the gun in Dean's right hand that she never noticed his left hand reaching into his pocket for the holy water._

_As she continued to scream, it quickly became evident that she only talked big. She didn't have the strength or tolerance for pain to back it up. Within mere seconds of being drenched with the holy water, she quickly fled Bela's body. After the last traces of the odious black smoke exited Bela's mouth, she promptly collapsed to the floor. Completely ignoring the fact that the demon had just escaped, Dean ran over to Bela's unconscious body._

"_Bela! Can you hear me?" he felt for a pulse, and although it was faint, he was relieved to feel one. _

_He knew she needed medical attention immediately, and quickly picked her up and brought her to the Impala. He drove like a madman, running red lights and stop signs until he reached the nearest hospital. After rushing into the ER and nearly colliding with a patient in a wheelchair, Dean managed to get Bela set up with a doctor, who quickly took her into a room to examine her. Waiting outside, Dean sank into a chair, hunched over with his head in his hands. She couldn't die on him now. She just couldn't._

_An hour later, Dean was finding it harder and harder to keep still. Sam was on the way; Dean had called him and filled him in on the situation. Just as he was about to get up and get some air outside, the door opened._

"_Mr. Talbot?" the doctor stepped through the door and addressed Dean._

"_Oh no no, I'm just, uh- I'm a friend," Dean answered._

"_I see," the doctor nodded. "Well, I'm happy to tell you that her condition has stabilized. The worst of our worries was an elevated blood pressure, but she should be just fine with a little bit of rest."_

"_Can I see her?" Dean asked._

"_I'm sorry, she's asleep at the moment. It would be best to just let her be for now."_

_Dean slowly nodded. "Okay."_

"_It's a good thing you brought her in when you did," the doctor informed him. "Had you been a few minutes later, she may have succumbed to a heart attack."_

_Dean released a massive sigh of relief._

_Thank God he had spent three hours tuning up the Impala the day before. That had surely made the difference with those few critical minutes._

* * *

Bela looked down at the ground, pensively pondering that episode, and just how close her brush with death really had been that time. It was all thanks to the man standing next to her that she was even able to stand next to him.

"Dean?" she looked at him.

"Yeah?" He didn't return her look just yet. He was too engrossed in his work.

"I… I never got a chance to… thank you properly. For Baltimore," Bela slowly stated.

By the time she had woken up in her hospital bed several hours after the incident, Sam had already arrived. The brothers quickly checked up on her, and, after her discharge from the hospital, drove her to Bobby's before going off to hunt down the demon and finish what Dean had started. They hadn't had an opportunity to privately speak to each other. Until now.

Dean then looked up with a wry smile. "Why, how much were you gonna try and bribe me this time?"

Bela shook her head. "Nothing."

Dean looked at her questioningly. Nothing? Huh, this was new.

"It's been quite a few times now that you've saved my life, Dean," Bela explained. "And this time may have been the most crucial of all."

Dean looked down, unsure how to respond. "Yeah. Well…"

"I owe you a bit more gratitude than I've shown you in the past," Bela admitted. "Thank you, Dean."

Dean could feel the sincerity shining through her eyes. This wasn't a ploy. There wasn't a catch. She really meant it. "No problem, Bela," he said, gently. "Don't mention it."

They shared a small smile, as they fell into silence. A light breeze fluttered past, bringing a sense of refreshing tranquility to the two. Bela savored it for a moment. There was still one matter to address.

"Dean, may I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure. What is it?" Dean leaned back on the Impala.

Bela took a spot next to him and leaned back as well. "Well…" she hesitated. But she was the one who had brought it up. She couldn't drop it now. "When I was possessed… when that thing was inside me… I was still there too, you know?"

Dean had a feeling that he knew where this was going. "Yeah. I figured."

"So you know that I… I heard everything," Bela stated.

Dean nodded. It was coming.

"So… what the demon was saying… was it…" she didn't need to finish.

Dean didn't need to ask what she was talking about. Instead, his hand reached out and found hers. His touch gave her chills, yet filled her with such unbelievable warmth. She looked into his eyes and saw a tenderness that had been missing in her life for so long. She felt herself melting inside. This had always been the problem with having downtime, in Bela's opinion. It was way too easy to let your guard down. To let neglected thoughts and feelings come to the forefront, overtake your senses, and leave you vulnerable. It was part of the reason why Bela had chosen such a frenetic, on-the-go lifestyle in the first place. With barely any free time, she had no opportunity to attend to the thoughts that simmered in her head. She rarely had to deal with regrets and painful memories of the past, or with feelings and emotions that could get in the way and cloud her judgment on the job.

But now, in this moment, there was nothing else to distract her. She could feel her heartbeat accelerating, almost exponentially. "Dean, I…" She had to look down and break eye contact. The more she looked at him, the more she struggled to find words. "I…" she trailed off.

"Well?" a voice behind them interrupted. "You what?"

Dean and Bela whirled around, and realized an audience had gathered. The speaker, Jo, had an inquisitive smirk on her face.

"Ah, geez," Dean muttered to himself.

"What are you all doing?" Bela inquired, nervously. Just how much had they heard?

Sam wasn't doing a very good job of concealing his grin. "We just wanted to tell you guys that lunch is ready. That's all," he said, innocently. "What are _you_ all doing?"

"Nothing," Dean said, a little too quickly. "Just talking. What, do people not do that these days?" He straightened up, in an attempt to look nonchalant. Of course, it was too little too late… but why not try?

Bobby shook his head, but cracked a small smile. "Well, we gonna eat or what? I know people do that."

"Yeah, come on Dean," Sam nodded at his brother. "You've been dreaming about those burgers all day. They're not gonna eat themselves."

That caught Dean's attention. "Yeah. Yeah, burgers," he nodded back. "Let's go."

Ellen chuckled. "Well, come on then kiddos." She turned and led the group back to their table. At the back of the line, Dean and Bela quietly followed. Neither was voicing their thoughts, yet both could sense what the other was feeling.

* * *

Later that night, Dean was having difficulty falling asleep. There was too much sugar in his system. But that pie had been too damn delicious. As far as he was concerned, it was worth the insomnia. He decided to step outside and get some fresh air. It was a cool summer night and the full moon was out, casting a silver glow upon the land. Werewolves were probably out, stalking around in the shadows. Oh, well. They would have to be some other hunters' problems for tonight.

The breeze of the day had persisted into the night, and it playfully ran through Dean's hair as he stood there, watching the tranquil night play itself out. When he stopped to really take a look at it, the world could be a beautiful place. He soon noticed a figure standing a few yards away. Bela was apparently experiencing a bout of insomnia of her own. She looked so ethereal, basking in the moonlight and looking up at the stars. There wasn't a whole lot that was capable of pulling on Dean's heartstrings this fervently. And all he was doing was looking at her.

He slowly made his way over to her spot. Hearing his approaching footsteps, Bela turned around.

"Hey, you," Dean greeted her.

Bela smiled. "Evening, Dean."

"Couldn't sleep, huh?"

"I… had a lot on my mind. It's a little hard to fall asleep whilst trying to sift through all the thoughts that are…" Bela trailed off, as she heard Dean quietly laughing.

"And just what is so funny?" she questioned.

"'Whilst'?" Dean gave her an amused "are you serious" look. "Who says 'whilst'?"

Bela playfully punched him in the arm a few times as she mock-threatened, "Make fun of my accent one more time. I dare you."

"All right, I- Hey," Dean laughed. "Stop hitting me!"

"You deserved it," Bela fired back, smiling.

They calmed back down, letting their laughter subside. After settling into what seemed like the forty-eighth awkward silence that day, Dean decided to be the one to break it this time. "Hey, Bela? About earlier…"

"Oh…" Bela looked away. She wouldn't deny that some part of her had enjoyed their moment, but there was a little bit of embarrassment mixed in as well. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Dean. It… it was a moment of weakness. I just-"

"No, it's okay," Dean quickly silenced her. "It's okay."

Bela relaxed. "Oh. All right."

"But, I just thought you should know," Dean looked her in the eyes. "It's true."

Bela's heartbeat once again hastened, ready to perform an internal quickstep.

"I do care for you. I don't know how or why, but somewhere along the way, you just…" Dean paused, trying to find the right words. "You just kinda snuck into my life, you know? At some point, I realized that… you were someone really special."

Bela severely hoped she wasn't turning red.

"And before I even knew what was going on… you'd already stolen my heart away," he took her hand in his, "like the great thief that you are."

Bela smiled, her heart warming immensely. If it had been her nature to do so, she would've "awww"-ed. Maybe even shed a tear or two. That was easily and undeniably the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her in her life. "Dean, that's so sweet of you."

Dean beamed.

Bela leaned closer. "Tell me something?"

"Hm?"

"Be honest with me," she insisted.

Dean nodded, "Yeah, okay."

Bela seductively leaned in even closer, her lips inches away from his ear, as she whispered...

"Who taught you those lines?"

Dean's smile faded, as he sharply turned to face her. "What?"

Bela straightened back up and smirked, arching an eyebrow. Now she hadn't been lying when she told him how sweet his words had been. She truly appreciated them, as a matter of fact. But she couldn't resist teasing him. That would teach him to make fun of her use of "whilst." It was a dignified word! Everyone back in Britain knew that!

Dean crossed his arms, indignantly. "What do you mean 'who taught me those lines'?"

"Come now," Bela insisted. "Was it Bobby? Or Sam? Perhaps it was worth going to university if he learned to speak like that, hm?"

Dean frowned. "You don't think I'm smart enough to come up with all that on my own." It was a statement, not a question.

"Well, you must admit, Dean, it's a far cry from your usual persona," Bela replied. "You've always seemed more accustomed to… oh, you know… 'son-of-a-bitch,' and the like."

Dean glared. "Uh-huh... I try to be nice, and this is what I get?" He shook his head. "Maybe I should just skip all the chick flick garbage and go back to yelling at you."

Bela giggled. "Are you pouting, Dean?"

Dean merely continued to glare at her.

"It's quite cute, you know," she said, sincerely.

Dean began to crack a smile, before he caught himself and maintained the glare. "So what are you saying? You want me to sulk and throw tantrums more often?"

"Perhaps," Bela smiled.

"…you've got some weird foreplay ideas, woman."

"Excuse you!" Bela smacked his arm again.

"Ow- hey, again with the hitting!" Dean rubbed his arm.

"Well, again, you deserved it."

Dean shook his head. This was turning out to be a painful night for his arm.

Bela's sweet smile returned. "Although, Dean, if it makes you feel any better," she gently hooked her arm through his, "I love you, too."

Dean's eyes slightly widened, as a hint of a smile played on his lips. "Wha- What was that?"

Bela froze, realizing what she had just said. What was that "I love you, too" all about? She had totally meant to say "I care for you, too." How in the hell did she screw that up? Their eyes locked. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. How was she going to get out of this one?

"Yeah. What _was_ that?" a voice interrupted.

They turned. Yet again, their faithful audience had assembled together, not wanting to miss out on the late show.

"Busted," Sam grinned.

"Oh come on, people!" Dean said, exasperated. "What is this, are we in high school? Ellen? Bobby? Aren't you guys supposed to be a little more mature than this?"

"Hmph, sounds funny coming from you," Bobby said. "What, you expect us to let you kids have all the fun?" Bobby cracking jokes? He was in a very good mood today.

"Were you eavesdropping this whole time?" Bela asked.

"Yup," Sam smiled brightly. "Oh, and by the way, that whole bit about you doing your thief thing? Sneaking in and stealing his heart away? I did not help with that. That was all him."

"Oh," Bela looked at Dean, admittedly impressed.

"It's okay," Jo smirked mischievously. "I couldn't believe it, either."

Now Dean glared at Jo, while everybody shared a laugh at his expense. "Hey. Watch it, Joanna Beth."

"So anyways… what were you saying?" Jo now turned her impish smile to Bela.

Bela stared at the younger woman, questioningly. "What?"

Jo nodded at her. "Come on, say it again."

Bela uncharacteristically began to stammer, "Wh- why- what do you-?"

"What's the matter? Demon got your tongue?" Ellen teased.

Sam egged her on. "Yeah, come on, Bel. Just confirm what we already know."

Bela menacingly flashed her eyes at him. "'What you know?'" She placed her right hand on her hip. "Oh, really? You know it, do you?"

"Um…" Sam shifted uncomfortably. "Well, yeah. Sorta," he offered up a nervous, apologetic smile. Had Bela warmed up to them considerably in recent times? Sure. Was she any less dangerous if they managed to get on her bad side? Hell no. Just ask Dean's arm.

Bela quickly scanned the group, noting the knowing smiles shared by Sam and Jo, as well as Ellen's amusement at the whole scene. Even Bobby had a fatherly twinkle in his eyes as he looked on. She sighed and shook her head, "My goodness me. All right, all right already!" She threw up her hands in defeat and turned to face Dean. Jo and Sam laughed and quickly exchanged fist bumps.

Bela took a breath, taking in the grin on Dean's face. She found herself feeling very soft inside. It was slightly annoying, in a disorienting way. But it wasn't an unwelcome feeling. "ILoveYou," she blurted out. It sounded more like "Ailuvoo." _Oh my, that wasn't quite right_, she thought. She had always prided herself on being able to maintain a graceful composure at all times. So much for that.

"What, now?" Dean and Sam asked, at the same time.

Bela quickly cast another poisonous glare at Sam before turning her attention back to Dean. "I. Love. You."

Dean's smirk grew. _I'm not letting you off that easy,_ he thought. He was gonna drag this moment out for as long as possible. "Who?"

Now it was Bela's turn to frown. "Excuse me?"

Dean's smirk rivaled the Cheshire Cat's. "Who do you love, Bel? He's got a name, doesn't he?"

Bela stared at him, realizing he was toying with her. Taking advantage of her while she was on the spot, with nowhere to run. How dare he. "Well, isn't it quite obvious?" she asked, icily.

"Maybe. But I'm not smart enough, right?" Dean threw in an accusing stare as he said "smart enough." "Why don't you go ahead and just spell it out for me?" he pressed further.

Bela rolled her eyes, but smiled. "You, Dean. You. You you you," she jabbed her finger into his chest with each "you."

"Now, say the whole thing again. With the name this time," Bobby called out.

Everyone turned to him, with mixtures of amusement and disbelief on their faces. He was in a _very_ good mood today.

_Unbelievable,_ Bela thought. _Even HE'S playing along._ She sighed, looked up and proclaimed to the sky, "I love you, Dean Winchester!"

Dean smiled and approached her, holding his arms out for an embrace.

"Oh no no no," she stepped back, pointing her finger in his face. "Why should I be the only one to have to make a spectacle of myself? It's your turn."

Dean shrugged, "All right." He cleared his throat. "I love you. Bela Talbot." Smooth as silk. Nothing to it.

Bela narrowed her eyes. That was it? No dramatic build-up, no hassle, no nothing? "That was too easy. After all that pressure put on me, you get it out in 3 seconds?"

Dean attempted to approach her again. "Well, wasn't it 'quite obvious'?" he mocked her.

"Ugh, you are ridiculous," Bela shook her head, but this time, allowed him to wrap his arms around her, before doing the same. They stayed in that position for a few seconds, as everyone else exchanged smiles.

Dean broke the embrace, and put his arm around Bela, before turning to the group. "So, anyway-"

"That's it?" Jo interrupted.

Dean and Bela exchanged confused looks. "What?" Dean asked.

"Well, you know," Ellen casually chimed in. "To wake up Snow White, Prince Charming had to give her a-"

"Yeah, oooookay, okay," Dean waved her off. "The moment's over here, you freaks. You wanna see some lip action, open up Sammy's laptop. I'm sure he's got _some_ porn in there."

"Hey," Sam frowned, offended, as everyone shared another laugh.

"Well, that was worth gettin' up in the middle of the night," Bobby yawned. "But I'm ready to get back to bed."

"Yea, same here," Jo agreed. She turned to Dean and Bela with a smile so sweet it could've caused tooth decay. "So if you two don't mind, whatever you're about to do, please keep the volume to a minimum."

Bela turned aside and buried her face in her hands. How embarrassing. Already, Jo had them pegged as a couple of horndogs.

Dean gave Jo an icy glare. Just what did she take them for? "Hey Ellen," he called out. "You're just gonna let your daughter get away with that kind of talk?"

Ellen shrugged. "Sorry Dean, I'm with her on this one. Keep it down. We need our beauty sleep," she winked.

"G'night, guys," Sam waved.

The crowd dispersed, having gotten their figurative money's worth. Dean shook his head as he watched them all return to their slumber. "Can't believe those guys," Dean muttered.

"Well," Bela said, "they certainly know how to make life a little bit livelier, don't they?"

"Oh yeah," Dean gave her an amused look. "Our lives are so boring. Demons? Monsters practically every day? No big deal."

"You know what I meant," Bela lightly laughed. "I was talking about all that trouble they just put us through."

Dean gazed at her, lovingly. "You're worth all the trouble."

He was so good with his words tonight. Once again, Bela felt her insides swirling, as she drew closer to him.

"So worth it," Dean whispered, as he closed the gap between them.

It wasn't the first time either of them had kissed or been kissed, yet it felt so pure. Amorous passion engulfed the two as they let their lips linger on each other's. It was an unadulterated moment of beauty and clarity that transcended anything either of them had ever felt before. It was almost as if they were experiencing an absolute spiritual renaissance. They were floating among the stars on a whole other plane of reality and neither wanted to let go of that feeling. They hesitantly separated, taking their time in allowing themselves to come back to Earth. The blissful euphoria was evident on both of their faces. They couldn't have asked for anything better… Although there was one thing Bela had to ask. She hated to bring the mood down, but the issue had to be addressed.

"Dean, there's just one thing that concerns me."

"What's that?" Dean asked.

Bela took a breath. "Well… is this the right time? For us?"

Dean returned her concerned expression. "Meaning…?"

"It's just… peaceful days like today are one in a million. Once we're back on the road, we'll also be back in harm's way. And… I don't want to be a liability," she looked down.

Dean's expression softened as he nodded, now understanding her worries.

Bela continued, "You know I'm not a hunter like all of you. I don't have the same set of skills or survival instincts." She began to ramble, sounding more and more anxious with each word. "And if you're spending your time worrying about me, then you're not focusing on the job, which I know can be costly, and-"

"Shhh," Dean gently placed his finger on her lips. "Let's calm down for a minute, all right?" He gave her an amused look. Bela Talbot panicking about something? That's something you didn't see every day… or ever, really.

Bela's nerves relented, and her blood pressure slowly dropped back to its normal level.

Dean spoke firmly, but held her hand supportingly. "Bela, if you expect me to just drop all my feelings for you for the sake of the job, I'm gonna tell you right now that I can't do that." He placed his other hand on her cheek. "I don't want to."

"Dean…" she sighed. Despite his kind words, the fact that he was being so noble managed to make her feel even guiltier.

"Hey, come on, didn't I just tell you a minute ago that you're worth all the trouble?" Dean's concerned expression returned. It pained him to see her feeling so defeated. "Look, Sam and I've been doing this for who knows how long. Don't you think we worry about each other too? 'Cause we do, all the time. You can't be throwing yourself and your baby brother into danger as often as we do without a whole truckload of anxiety. It's all part of the same package." He paused. It had been a while since he had allowed himself to release all his emotions in this way. They were heavy. They'd been weighing him down, and he had to admit that it was a relief to get everything out of his system.

"But, Bela," he continued, taking her hands once again. "If we let all that anxiety take over and hold us back, we'd be dead before we even stepped through the door. Sammy and I, we just have to look out for each other. Trust each other. That's how we know we can get through anything together. It's what we do." His tone softened further, as he drove the point home. "And the same applies to you. You'll never be a burden on me, if that's what you're afraid of. When you need me, I'll be there. Simple as that. No matter who or what comes after us."

For the second time that night, Bela found herself on the verge of shedding tears. Seeing this side of him was enough to eradicate all her worries. Dean truly was a good man.

"Let 'em all come. Leviathans, Crowley and his army, vamps and ghosts… Hell, I'll even throw down a welcome mat for them." Dean tenderly placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "They won't stop me. So don't you worry your pretty little head. Okay?"

There was so much comfort and reassurance in his expression. Bela could feel a near-immaculate force of serenity overtaking her soul. It was magical. It was mystical. But the most amazing thing of all? It was real. She smiled and nodded, "Okay." She moved in closer, resting her head on his chest, as he held her in his strong but gentle arms. Lightly caressing her soft, brown hair, he planted a kiss on her forehead. Here, bathed in the moonlight and in each other's arms, they felt safer and more at peace than they had felt in years.

"I'll always love you, Bela."

And, even if for one small moment in time, all was perfect in the world.

* * *

**Aaaand cut! Well, there you have it: my first fic in 8 years! I gotta tell you, it was HARD lol. I kept re-thinking things, then re-writing, then re-thinking and re-writing all over again. And it was hard to stay consistent cuz I didn't write it all at once, and I didn't write it in order either lol (the first part I got down was actually the "I love you" scene, and errthang just developed from there). And then I wanted certain moments to be sweet without being too cheesy. Y'all can judge whether or not I was successful (apologies if I failed. I've had a lot of exposure to Filipino dramas lately haha).**

**Also, I'm kind of a laid-back, simple and old-fashioned guy, so if you thought the overall atmosphere/tone of the story could be described similarly (I kinda do)… well, that's just me talkin' lol.**

**Let me know what you guys thought! Hope y'all enjoyed it! =D**

**P.S. In the middle of writing this (during one of my bouts of writer's block lol), I was inspired to write yet another Supernatural fic. It'll be just for fun. Primarily humorous… maybe in a wacky, ridiculous way lol. Think of it this way: if this fic is the main course, the next one is dessert! =D**


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